| Edward of Middleham | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Salisbury |
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| Portrait of Edward of Middleham, ca. 1483 | |
| Full name | |
| English: Edward of Middleham Welsh: Iorwerth chan Middleham |
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| House | House of York |
| Father | Richard III of England |
| Mother | Anne Neville |
| Born | December 1473 Middleham, Wensleydale |
| Died | 9 April [O.S. 31 March] 1484 (aged 10) Middleham, Wensleydale |
| Burial | April 1484 Sheriff-Hutton Church |
| Religion | Christian |
Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales, KG and Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, 1st Earl of Salisbury (December 1473 – 9 April [O.S. 31 March] 1484), was the only son of King Richard III of England and his queen consort, Anne Neville. He was Richard's only legitimate child and died aged 10.[1] When Edward died, in 1484, the House of York lost its only chance at continuation. Edward's father was killed during the Wars of the Roses, thus ending the above-mentioned conflict and the throne of England reverted to Richard III's killer, Henry Tudor, a descendent of Edward III of England through his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort.
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On the death of Edward IV, on 9 April 1483, the late king's twelve-year-old son, Edward V, succeeded him. Edward of Middleham's father, Richard was named Lord Protector of the young king and quickly moved to keep the family of the Queen mother from exercising power. Elizabeth's brother Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, and others were arrested and taken to Pontefract Castle, where they were later executed under the accusation of having planned to assassinate Richard. He then took Edward and his younger brother, nine-year-old Richard, Duke of York, to the Tower of London, in accordance with advice given by Baron Hastings.[2]
Edward was born in December 1473[3] at Middleham Castle (a stronghold close to York that became Richard and Anne's principal base in northern England).[4] He was mostly kept in the castle as he was known to be a sickly child.[5] On 26 June 1483, his father became King of England and Lord of Ireland, following a sermon that was preached outside St Paul's Cathedral which declared Edward IV's children bastards and Richard the rightful king. After the citizens of London, nobles and commons convened, a petition was drawn up, asking Richard to assume the throne. He accepted on 26 June and was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6 July 1483. His title to the throne was later confirmed by Parliament in January 1484 by the document Titulus Regius. Edward, however, was unable to attend his parents' coronation, probably due to an illness.[4] He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in a splendid ceremony on 24 August 1483. Edward was a delicate child and died of what could have been tuberculosis.[5] The Croyland Chronicle read:
| “ | However, in a short time after, it was fully seen how vain are the thoughts of a man who desires to establish his interests without the aid of God. For, in the following month of April, on a day not very far distant from the anniversary of king Edward, this only son of his, in whom all the hopes of the royal succession, fortified with so many oaths, were centred, was seized with an illness of but short duration, and died at Middleham Castle, in the year of our Lord, 1484, being the first of the reign of the said king Richard. On hearing the news of this, at Nottingham, where they were then residing, you might have seen his father and mother in a state almost bordering on madness, by reason of their sudden grief.[6] | ” |
Richard's enemies were inclined to interpret the child's death as divine retribution of Richard's implication in the murder of his young predecessor and his brother. Richard buried his son in an unknown location, supposedly making his son the only Prince of Wales to be buried outside of London.[4] The mutilated white alabaster effigy, believed to be that of Edward of Middleham, in the church at Sheriff Hutton is not a tomb but a cenotaph (i.e. it is empty).[7] His death left Richard without a legitimate child and prolonged the War of the Roses.[8]
Since 1483, Edward used England's coat of arms.
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Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales
Cadet branch of the House of Plantagenet
Born: December 1473 Died: 9 April 1484 |
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| English royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant
Title last held by
Edward of the Sanctuary |
Prince of Wales 24 August 1483 – 9 April 1484 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Arthur Tudor |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Vacant
Title last held by
Edward of the Sanctuary |
Duke of Cornwall 26 June 1483 – 9 April 1484 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Arthur Tudor |
| Earl of Chester 24 August 1483 – 9 April 1484 |
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| Vacant
Title last held by
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 19 July 1483 – 9 April 1484 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis |
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